It is important to provide a support structure for heat exchangers in an electronic package which can adjust to variations in the height or attitude of electronic components such as a chip, but which is structurally secured. This is a particularly important problem in multi-chip packages where individual heat exchangers and chips may be non-coplanar by as much as 0.5 mm. However, even in such cases, the heat exchanger must be closely mated to the electronic component in order to provide a good thermal interface.
One solution to this problem is to provide a very compliant mounting of the heat exchangers or the electronic components, or both. However, in service, the package may have to withstand vibration or shock which generally requires a non-compliant, structurally secure mounting of the heat exchanger to avoid overloading a delicate electronic component, such as a chip and its connections. But, during service, some compliance should be provided for in the package in order to maintain the thermal contact with the heat exchanger when minor package warpage occurs.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for adjustably supporting a heat exchanger during assembly for closely mating with an electronic component by being adjustable to variations in the height or attitude of the electronic component, and thereafter securely supporting the heat exchanger to avoid overloading the electronic component during service.